On the occasion of the first anniversary of the rape and murder of the eight year girl in Kathua in Jammu province, former J&K Chief Minister and the PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has accused the former partner, the BJP of communalizing the issue and supporting the rapists at the time.
Taking to Twitter, Mehbooba said that as Chief Minister she had tried her best to ensure justice for the victim.
“Today marks a year since the horrific rape & murder of an eight year old girl in Kathua. Sadly, instead of condemning such a gruesome incident, BJP lawmakers staged protests in favour of the rapists. Even a crime like rape was communalised & passions were stoked to justify it,” she said.
“As a CM I tried my best to ensure justice was done. Can only hope that the accused are punished severely so that no other girl has to endure such pain and trauma,” Mehbooba said in another tweet.
The gruesome crime last year had shocked J&K and the country. The girl had been held captive at a temple before being killed.
But when police arrested the alleged perpetrators, the crime soon assumed a communal colour. The then BJP MLA of the area Deepak Sharma visited Rassana later and held deliberations with the people of the one community only. Senior BJP leaders maintained silence over the issue even while the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti summoned the family of the girl to her office and assured them of the government support. Later, the two senior BJP leaders Chaudary Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Gang attended a rally at Kathua in support of the alleged perpetrators.
